Brad Goode, associate pastor of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, poses with his daughers, Amelia, 3, left, and Caroline, 5, at a recent block party the church was helping to host in Chickasaw, Alabama, on Saturday, May 17, 2013. (Carol McPhail/cmcphail@al.com)

The singing and dancing children tour the country to raise awareness of the plight of orphaned and poverty-stricken youth of Uganda and the work of African Renewal Ministries. One of the Goode’s daughters, Amelia, was once an orphan in a home run by the Christian ministry – that is, until the Goodesadopted her when she was 10 months old.

“We always want Amelia to know where she came from and to know that she has that rich heritage that comes from Uganda and see those kids,” said Goode. “Hopefully, that will inspire her to help them in some way someday to have new opportunities, as well.”

“For them to have an opportunity to come over, that in itself gives those kids an opportunity to see things no one else in their families has ever been able to see,” said Goode, who has been on staff at Dauphin Way for about a year.

African Renewal Ministries, Goode said, guides children from preschool age, supporting and following them until they graduate from college. “That really allows them to raise a generation rather than doing a little bit piece by piece,” he said. Mwangaza is a Swahili word for “shining light.”

Since its inception in 2004, African Renewal Ministries has sent out eight different choir tours across the western world, according to its website. Mwangaza has performed five tours across the United States, as well as two tours in the Netherlands.They perform in English and Swahili.

The Goodes will be one of the families hosting the children for their stay in Mobile. Goode helped to arrange the event at Dauphin Way as a way to attract members on Memorial Day weekend, when attendance tends to be slim.

Brad and his wife, Rachel, gained a clearer understanding of the contrast between America and Uganda when they spent time in the country during the adoption process, which was accomplished with the help of Lifeline Christian Services.

“To be entrenched in that for a full month really opened our eyes to how difficult it can be to live in those circumstances,” he said.

The Goodes planned from the beginning to have both biological and adopted children, he said. They were married for four years and had 3-year-old Caroline when they adopted Amelia. As soon as they brought the new baby home, Goode said, Caroline hugged them all and began calling her sibling sissy.